Injuries put damper on 'Cat scrimmage

Friday

Aug 27, 2010 at 3:15 AMAug 27, 2010 at 9:53 PM

By Al Pikeapike@fosters.com

DURHAM — It began on an ominous note when quarterback R.J. Toman sprained an ankle on the first series.

And ended far worse when receiver Mickey Mangieri suffered what appeared to be a severe injury to his right leg on the final play of Thursday's intra-squad scrimmage that marked the end of training camp for the University of New Hampshire football team.

"It (stinks)," senior co-captain Dino Vasso said of Mangieri's injury that cast a pall over Cowell Stadium as he was treated by the UNH training staff and then paramedics. "There's not much you can say right now. No one really deserves that. It's just a bad deal."

Mangieri was hurt on a play that resulted in a 24-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman Chris Setian.

The junior caught 12 passes last season and led the team with a 19.8-yard average and was being counted on to help fill the void left by the loss of the Wildcats' top two receivers

"He's got a serious leg injury," said coach Sean McDonnell. "We've got people tending to it. I don't know the extent of it but I know it's bad."

Toman managed to get hurt, despite wearing a noncontact red jersey, when someone rolled up on his left ankle during a blitz. He completed the pass for a first down to Joey Orlando, then limped off the field and had the ankle taped.

Toman could have returned if it was a regular-season game, McDonnell said, but was held out as a precaution.

That left more snaps with the first offense for junior Kevin Decker, who completed 21 of 25 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score as Team Wild beat Team Cat, 27-6.

"That's how things happen," Decker said. "It happened last year I think on the first play. You've got to be ready to go when your number is called."

Decker threw TD passes to tight end Chris Jeannot of 22 yards early in the second quarter that made it 14-0 and another of 7 yards to senior Mike Greene midway through the third that made it 21-6.

The 6-foot-2 Greene made a leaping catch over a defender in the back right corner of the end zone.

"Deck did a good job," McDonnell said. "Deck did just what he does in practice. I thought when he started zeroing in and throwing the ball instead of feathering some things he made some pretty good throws and pretty good reads. He made a nice check-down in the red zone on Greene's touchdown. That was a hell of a throw and a hell of a catch."

Decker also scored the game's first touchdown on a 13-yard run. After Toman went down, he took most of the snaps with the first team while freshmen Alex Park and Andy Vailas alternated series with the second unit.

The only other quarterback on the roster is junior James Brady, who is ineligible this season after transferring from Georgetown.

"We've got some work to do," McDonnell said. "We weren't crisp. Very herky-jerky for what we need to do. As the game went on I thought the one offense got the ball off and got it to people in open spaces and did some good things."

Park hit freshman Jim Giansante with a 57-yard TD pass on the last play of the first half that made it 21-6.

Setian led all rushers with 82 yards on 13 carries while redshirt freshman Derek Coppola gained 57 on seven attempts. Senior running back Sean Jellison, the team's leading returning rusher, sat out the scrimmage with a foot injury.

Kevon Mason caught five passes for 52 yards and Greene had four receptions for 32. Without Mangieri, depth at the slot position will take a hit. Senior Terrance Fox, who missed all of last season after failing a drug test, might have to assume a larger role.

"It's a blow because he's a very versatile kid who can make things happen with the football," McDonnell said. "Last year he started coming into his own at the end of the year and I really had a good feel for him all camp and some of the plays he was making. A lot of it falls on Foxy now and we've got find somebody to share some time with him at that A position."

Because of the injuries, McDonnell and many of his players were visibly upset after the scrimmage, which marked the end of training camp and the start of preparations for the regular season, which opens Sept. 4 at home against Central Connecticut.

"Injuries happen in this game and you've got to move on," Decker said, "but Mickey's going to be good and he's going to recover and he's going to come back."

Portsmouth's Rod Walker and freshman Malcolm Griggs had a game-high eight tackles apiece. The defense was also credited with six sacks.

"Defensively, I hope that's how we play," McDonnell said. "Our one defense has an opportunity to be OK. I thought we did a pretty good job against our two offense."

"We've got to get better collectively," Vasso said. "To be good defense you've got to tackle well. We've got to continue to do the things we've been doing — running to the ball and forcing turnovers. We had one today which isn't up to our standards.

"We put some pressure on the quarterback," Vasso added, "but we've got to force turnovers. That's where we live defensively at UNH."

Offensively, the Wildcats averaged 31.8 points per game last season to lead the Colonial Athletic Conference.

"Our goal is 40," Decker said. "We set high standards."

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